An incomplete but appealing and informative depiction of cryptographer Elizebeth Friedman.
From Shakespeare to secrets and spies.
When Elizebeth Smith Friedman graduated college in 1915 with a degree in English literature, she had no idea that the future held secret government work in store—she was initially hired by a wealthy eccentric to find messages in Shakespeare’s plays to reveal his “true” identity. Eventually, her talent with language and analysis led to her selection, with her husband, to set up the first code-breaking unit in the U.S. Over her career she unraveled thousands of secret messages, working for the military through two world wars, preventing countless deaths, catching smugglers and spies, and training others to do all of the above. Her work was classified Top Secret Ultra. Concise description with interesting details combines with evocative illustrations that frequently incorporate Friedman’s own words to portray the life of this extraordinary White woman. With the exception of a single quote worked into the illustrations—“Many times I’ve been asked as to how my direction, that is the direction and superior status of a woman as instructor, teacher, mentor…how these men accepted my authority”—no mention is made of how unusual her position was as a woman of the time and, indeed, how her authority was accepted. Still, youngsters will be fascinated by this engaging biographical selection of an original thinker, which includes elements of STEM and history and provides a picture of a dedicated, resilient woman. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10.5-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 67% of actual size.)
An incomplete but appealing and informative depiction of cryptographer Elizebeth Friedman. (notes, timeline, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 6-10)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3963-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021
A unique angle on a watershed moment in the civil rights era.
The New Orleans school child who famously broke the color line in 1960 while surrounded by federal marshals describes the early days of her experience from a 6-year-old’s perspective.
Bridges told her tale to younger children in 2009’s Ruby Bridges Goes to School, but here the sensibility is more personal, and the sometimes-shocking historical photos have been replaced by uplifting painted scenes. “I didn’t find out what being ‘the first’ really meant until the day I arrived at this new school,” she writes. Unfrightened by the crowd of “screaming white people” that greets her at the school’s door (she thinks it’s like Mardi Gras) but surprised to find herself the only child in her classroom, and even the entire building, she gradually realizes the significance of her act as (in Smith’s illustration) she compares a small personal photo to the all-White class photos posted on a bulletin board and sees the difference. As she reflects on her new understanding, symbolic scenes first depict other dark-skinned children marching into classes in her wake to friendly greetings from lighter-skinned classmates (“School is just school,” she sensibly concludes, “and kids are just kids”) and finally an image of the bright-eyed icon posed next to a soaring bridge of reconciliation. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A unique angle on a watershed moment in the civil rights era. (author and illustrator notes, glossary) (Autobiographical picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-75388-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses.
An NBA star pays tribute to the influence of his grandfather.
In the same vein as his Long Shot (2009), illustrated by Frank Morrison, this latest from Paul prioritizes values and character: “My granddad Papa Chilly had dreams that came true,” he writes, “so maybe if I listen and watch him, / mine will too.” So it is that the wide-eyed Black child in the simply drawn illustrations rises early to get to the playground hoops before anyone else, watches his elder working hard and respecting others, hears him cheering along with the rest of the family from the stands during games, and recalls in a prose afterword that his grandfather wasn’t one to lecture but taught by example. Paul mentions in both the text and the backmatter that Papa Chilly was the first African American to own a service station in North Carolina (his presumed dream) but not that he was killed in a robbery, which has the effect of keeping the overall tone positive and the instructional content one-dimensional. Figures in the pictures are mostly dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-81003-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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